Levee



April 19, 1938.'

W. DORN LEVEE Filed Sept. 21. 1936 Patented Apr. 19, 1938 i UNITED STATES PATENT ortica a 2 claims.

This invention relates to levee constructions, and 4more particularly to a levee construction which may be readily erected in a relatively short time, and which will withstand the pressure of '5i water under flood conditions and also withstand any erosion from the swiftly flowing water.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved levee construction which embodies elements that are in the main readily obtainable at short notice and which may be so combined as to provide a permanent levee.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a levee means between the earth ll and the water to prevent the swiftly moving water from 154 wearing the fill away.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a levee construction a compacted means in the form of bales of material which is interposed between the earth fill and the water, the bales of material serving to prevent washing of the fill, and at'the same time providing a means which will gradually become filled with sand and dirt so that no tiny rivulets Will seep through the bales and effect erosion of the earth fill.

At the present time it is well known that emergency levees are thrown up with sand bags placed between the earth fill and the water, but these levees are only of temporary construction, and frequently the spaces between the various bags will admit water into the earth ll and thus gradually wear the ill away. It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide a levee which may be erected as a temporary or emergenecy expedient and then left in position as a permanent adjunct.

With the foregoing Yand other objects in View, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

40 In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a. perspective View, partly broken away, of a levee constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional-view .taken through the levee.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken through a modified form of this invention.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I@ indicates the ground level of the shore line along a body of water, such as a river or the like, and the numerals I2 and I3 designate the natural embankments beside the water above the low ground level I0 at the upstream and downstream end of the levee to be hereinafter described;

A plurality of longitudinally spaced apart posts I I are sunk into the ground along the shore line, the posts |I being sunk to such a depth that they willreadily stand upright under considerable pressure.` Preferably the bottoms of the posts II are embedded in concrete I4 or the like which is poured into the holes i5 provided for the posts II. The concrete will retard rotting ofthe bottoms of the posts Il and will also assist in firmly supporting the posts I I in an up? right position.

A wire screen Iii of suitable construction is secured by staples or other fastening devices tothe shore side of the posts I I, and this wire screen Iii is preferably of relatively heavy construction so that relatively heavy objects iioating'in the water Vandstriking the screen will not materially damage the screen. A trench Il is dug inwardly of 20 the posts I I and the Wire I E, and in this trench Il thereare placed a plurality of bales I8, the bales I8 being placed end to end, and then additional bales or bundles superposed upon each other until the desired height is obtained at the outer or river side of the levee. It will be understood that the posts and the screen I6 may be of suflicient height so that the water under extremel iiood conditions will not iiow over the top thereof, and the height of the bales may be made substantially level with the top of the posts and the wire screen lb.` Y

Reinforcing or anchoring logs I9 are disposed inwardly of the posts II and the bales I8, these logs I9 being disposed in a horizontal position 35 within or at the rear of the fill. The logs I9 are connected to the-front or outer posts l I by means of wire strands 2|) or the like, the strands 26 being wrapped around the posts and logs I9 and stretched to the desired degree so that the pressure of the earth fillY 2| which engages against the inner or shore side of the bales` I3 will not force the bales I8 and the posts II outwardly or in the direction of the water. The reinforcing or anchoring logs I9 are particularly desirable during the construction of the ll 2| so that the heavy trucks, tractors or the like which are used in conveying the fill will not force the soft dirt or ll outwardly toward the screen Iii, the logs I9 serving to equalize the distribution of pressure. The fill 2| engages about the wire strands 2li, and the top of the fill 2| is preferably substantially level with the top of the bales I8.

At the upstream end of the levee a plurality of boards or planks 22 are secured to the posts II, and at this end of the levee bales I8 may also be positioned inwardly of the boards 22. Preferably the boards 22 are positioned on an obtuse angle to the outer side of the levee, the angle extending inwardly toward the shore so that no water from the river will be able to flow behind the fill. These boards 22 also act as an abutment or breekwater to prevent any floating object from damaging the upper end f the levee.

The lower end of the levee is constructed somewhat similar to the upper end, being provided with a board facing 23 which extends inwardly from the stream. At this lower end of the levee the bales I 8 may if desired be omitted.

In Fig. 3 there is disclosed a modied form of this invention which may be used where there is a fairly high embankment along the shore and it is desired to prevent the flood waters from wearing away the embankment. In this form the posts I I are embedded in the ground in the usual manner with their lower ends embedded in concrete if desired. The posts II are positioned in outwardly spaced relation to the embankment 24, and wire screen I6 is secured to the inner sides of the posts I I. The space between the screen I6 and the outer side of the embankment 24 is then lled with superposed bales I8.

The earth fill 2I is preferably of such a depth as to adequately withstand the pressure of the flood water against the outer side of the levee and in this manner the wire fence with the filtering means I8 will not be bent over by the pressure of the water. The wire strands 20 preferably engage over the tops of certain of the bales I B so that the bales I8 will not rise or float when the water rises on the outer side of the levee. The bales I 8 are also held against rising by pressure of the ll 2I against the inner sides thereof.

As the water in the river rises to iiood condition and engages the levee, the water will of course soak the bales I 8, but the bales I8 will then swell to more closely compact the material thereof. It is, of course, well known that waters in flood condition are muddy, containing sand, dirt and other foreign matter. As this murky Water enters the bales I8 the solid matter in the Water will gradually ll up any hollow spaces in the bales I8 so that these bales will soon become relatively solid with solid matter. The screen I 6 will not only prevent the bales I8 from moving outwardly and into the stream, but will also act as a perforate reinforcing wall for the levee and a protecting wall therefor. The force of the water will be dissipated Within the bales I8 so that no moving water will contact with the fill 2|. For this reason the iill 2l need not be of such solid construction as to prevent passage of water therethrough, and may thus be constructed of rocks, gravel, sand or any other material which is available for this purpose.

With the subsiding of the ilood waters the bales I8 will be found to be impregnated with sand, mud or other relatively fine particles which were in the flood waters, so that after one or more flood periods the bales I 8 will gradually lose their identity as such', and the rotting of the bales I8 will not materially affect the condition of the outer side of the levee as the screen I6 will firmly hold the material against erosion.

It will be noted from the drawing that only a single tier or series of superposed bales I8, or I8', has been shown, but it will be understood that if desired any number of tiers of bales I8 or I8 may be used. As an example, assuming that the bank 24 is away from the shore line a distance greater than a single tier of bales I8, and that it is diicult to obtain suiiicient material to flll in the space between the bales I8 and the bank 24, then any number of tiers of bales I 8 may be placed between the wire I6 and the bank 24, and if there is any likelihood that these bales I8 may oat away such bales may be staked down with wires, weighted with stones, or otherwise held in proper position. After the levee has been in use for some time, and in the event any of the bales I8 become loose or begin to disintegrate, such bales may be readily replaced with new bales. These bales I8 and I8 are preferably formed of straw or like material which can be obtained very cheaply and quickly.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modlflcations being restricted only by the scope of the following claims:-

What is claimed is:

1. A levee comprising a plurality of vertically disposed spaced apart posts, a concrete base engaging about the lower end of each of said posts, a perforate fence structure secured to said posts, a plurality of iibrous bale members disposed in superposed position along one side of said fence structure, an earth fill contacting with said bale members inwardly of said fence structure, wires secured at one end to certain of said posts and extending in the direction of said ll, said wires engaging over the tops of certain of said bale members, and anchoring means mounted in said fill and connected to the opposite ends of said wires.

2. A levee comprising a plurality of vertically disposed spaced apart posts embedded at their lower ends in the ground, a perforate fence structure secured to said posts, a plurality of pervious block members formed of compressed brous material disposed in superposed relation and engaging against the inner face of said fence structure, an earth iill engaging against said block members and extending inwardly thereof, and anchoring means embedded in said l'ill and connected to said posts, said anchoring means engaging over certain of said block members to hold said block members against vertical movement.

WINFIELD DORN. 

